I've learned a valuable blogging lesson already - don't post about future postings! It's now week 2, Thing 3 is out there, and I haven't finished Thing 2 yet, largely because I foolishly promised, in a previous post, to post about my "blogging neuroses"! So, I'd better get this out of the way before I look at RSS feeds...
I feel uncomfortable about blogging. I think I'm talking here about blogging/posting that goes beyond a professional remit. Blogs like those of the UL Tower, Incunabula and Sassoon projects, for example, seem to me to be an excellent idea; and blogging for/about 23 Things is equally worthwhile, as by participating in it I am developing, learning and pursuing an end. It's beyond this that I get a bit anxious. For example, I've published a couple of posts that are not about any of the 23 things, but about things that I, personally, am interested in. They are beyond what I need to do to complete the programme, they offer my own opinions and feelings about things - is there any place for these on a blog which has been set up as part of my professional life?
Why not refrain from publishing these personal posts in the first place? It is, after all, a little presumptuous to assume that anybody will read them, let alone be interested. Yet for some reason I want to, I suppose in the hope that they will connect with someone. Would I have been better to create a separate, anonymous blog for this kind of material? My instincts tell me not to publish anonymously - I want people to know who I am (not just in my blog, but generally in life!) and I feel that anonymity would undermine these connections I'm seeking. On the other hand, I'm imagining how I would feel knowing that, for example, a potential employer had read these posts. It's not that they have 'inappropriate' content in the general sense of that word, but that they give an insight into me beyond my persona as a librarian. In a professional context I want to be judged by my conduct as a professional, not my personality/personal interests.
Has anybody else had any thoughts on these issues?
5 comments:
Apart from the fact that your personal posts are in fact library related, I think that when writing, we have to express something of a personal opinion or else what is the point in writing at all? Of course, you have to be politic about how you go about it, but your personality is part and parcel of your professionalism, so I don't think the two can be separated, especially not in this context. See also the comment I left in reply to yours on my blog for something I think you might find interesting/helpful :)
Ditto. I'm sure this kind of question will be raised a lot as we encounter tools like Facebook and Twitter that a lot of us already use for personal rather than professional purposes. I think your blog strikes absolutely the right note. It's impossible to divorce ourselves as librarians from ourselves as people, after all, and a blog that focuses entirely on the 23 things to the exclusion of all else, with little of the personality or interests of the blogger spilling over into it, is a dull thing. I imagine potential employers would be far from deterred by blog posts straying outside the boundaries of the 23 things, just as long as they don't stray too far.
A blog is essentially a diary, which I suppose is an essentially narcissistic enterprise. There's a fine line to tread when you make a diary public. As a rule, I think, as long as you retain the concern about coming across as self-involved, you should avoid falling into the trap.
We think we have some pigeons nesting in the roof space near our library computer area, and not for the first time. Cooing etc. The problem in the past has been that the pigeons have died and attracted various kinds of vermin. All part of the delightful variety of nature.
I read a fair few librarians' blogs and always find that, although I'm following them primarily for library news, my favourites are the ones that combine professional and personal - it's good to know there's a real human behind the blog!
I felt exactly the same when I started my blog and was concerned about how I would come across in a professional domain. I quickly realised, however, that everyone else was giving personal opinions etc. and that, as Becky says, professional discussion without personal views isn't a discussion at all. If everyone else is doing it then so must we (within reason obviously!)!
Thanks for the comments! My blogging confidence grows steadily...
Post a Comment